“I’m not wandering,” Mite muttered. But Renne was the last person she would tell about her rescue mission, so she followed him back up the beach toward the castle. She sneakily walked along the logs beside the mage, pretending she was playing a balancing game when she was really looking for Patience.
They rounded the corner of the beach, and Mite stared at the horizon in surprise. An elegant sailboat was approaching. It didn’t have red sails like the king’s, but it still made her nervous.
“What’s that?” Mite said.
“General Lydio,” Renne said. “Julian has been expecting him for some time. He’s officially pledged his support for our cause.”
Mite wasn’t sure what that meant. She hoped it didn’t mean they would have visitors staying in the castle—she didn’t like visitors. They always spoke to her in syrupy voices, as if she was six rather than seven and a half.
“Are they coming to stay here?” she said, but Renne wasn’t listening. One of the mages on the beach was waving at him, and he hurried off without another word.
Mite made her way alone up the castle stairs with a heavy heart. No story, no spider, and now there were strange visitors who would take up all Julian’s time. She didn’t think things could get any worse.
23
Noa Finds an Unexpected Ally
The journey back to Astrae passed in a haze of nausea. Noa vaguely remembered touching down, because that was when she had thrown up again, and then Julian laying her down in bed. At some point, he returned with a cool compress for her forehead and, later, a bowl of plain oatmeal. “Merp,” Noa managed, waving him off. The offending oatmeal vanished, and she fell asleep again.
Eventually, her stomach calmed, and she was able to sit up. From the light, she guessed it was early afternoon. She had a bath and put on clean clothes. Her old ones smelled of seawater and something deeply unpleasant that she suspected was sea serpent slime. After tossing on a fresh black cloak, she felt like herself again, apart from her stomach, which had a scooped-out feeling, like a melon rind. She went to find Julian.
The tower was empty, though. Sunlight poured through the windows and splashed upon the floor. A few of the windows had been left open, for it was a warm day, and a salty breeze flickered over the maps and grimoires and compasses. The cats were excited to see Noa. They swarmed her invisibly, rubbing against her calves and twining about her feet. It was like wading through a purring sea.
Noa waved her hands through the cat-filled air, managing to pet a few of them. She went over to one of the windows, and was surprised to find that Astrae was barely moving. They were in an unfamiliar sea between two distant walls of volcanoes. The turquoise water frothed around a scattering of tiny islets, which were lumpy with walruses.
Noa frowned. Anchored just off Astrae was a large sailboat with gaudily patterned sails. The door opened behind her, and she turned, expecting Julian, but it was Mite.
“You’re finally up!” She skipped into the room. “Guess what? Julian read me two stories this morning. And he said he’ll read me two more tonight.” Her voice was low, as if she felt she was getting away with something.
“Whose ship is that?” Noa demanded.
Mite skipped up to the window. “That’s General Lydio’s. Renne said he came to wedge his support.”
“Pledge his support?” Noa said. “Oh! I remember now. He sent Julian a letter a long time ago, hinting about joining our side. He’s a salt mage, and he commands a third of Xavier’s fleet.” Noa chewed her lip. “I wonder if he really means it, or if he’s just hedging his bets.”
“They’re going to stay in the castle,” Mite said gloomily. “They have a big ship. Why don’t they stay there?”
“If General Lydio can get the navy on our side, he can have the entire island to himself,” Noa said. “Where are we?”
Mite shrugged. “Some place with another smelly book.”
“This is Greenwash Strait?” Noa leaned out the window, but she saw nothing but rocks and walruses. She wondered if Xavier’s mage had given Julian the wrong coordinates. “Where’s the island?”
“There’s no island. Julian said maybe the book is underwater.”
“But what about Xavier? Where are his ships? Maybe we’re in the wrong place.”
“There are two royal ships over there,” Mite said, pointing. “Julian turned the island so we’re facing away from them. When they move east or west, he turns it again. They don’t know we’re here.”
Noa looked, and sure enough, she could just make out two small red smudges on the horizon. If Xavier’s ships were still here, they probably hadn’t found the second lost language. That was good. But Noa still felt uneasy. Even if Xavier hadn’t found the Lost Words yet, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. His mages had a big head start on Astrae. Who knew how long they’d been searching?
“Where’s Julian?” Noa said.
“In the kitchen,” Mite said. “Working on the menu with Anna.”
“Menu?” Noa yelled.
Mite’s brow furrowed. “For the banquet. To welcome General—”
“Xavier attacked us last night,” Noa said, gesticulating at the window. “His mages are out there right now, looking for the Lost Words. And Julian is off working on menus?”
“It’s just one menu.” Mite’s face brightened. “We’re having sesame coconut custard for first dessert and lava surprise cake for second dessert. Julian couldn’t decide, so I said we should have both.”
Noa let out a long groan and flopped down on the squashy couch. She couldn’t believe Julian. Imagine stopping in the middle of an important quest to throw a party! Last night, she had nearly gotten herself killed trying to save him from his own wicked tendencies. Now she had to save him from his ridiculous tendencies as well. Her head hurt.
“Go get Julian,” she said without uncovering her eyes. “Tell him he needs to come and look for the Lost Words. Tell him
